Animated target



July 27, 1948.

l. D. wALLAcH Anuman mmm 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec. 7, 1945 Cri-AIV ATTORNEYS Patented July 27, 1948 ANIMATED 'IARGE'I` Irving D. Wallach, Port Washington, N. Y., as-

signor to Associated Development and Research i Corporation, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York `Application December 7, 1945, Serial No. 633,329

6 Claims.

i i 1 i `This invention relates to amusement devices and particularly to apparatus in which targets are sequentially exposed at various locations within a restricted target area.

The invention is essentially an animated target intended for home amusement, although it can be modified for use in a standard shooting gallery wherein firearms are used. For -purposes of the present discussion, however, the invention will be described as of the nature of a toy in connection with which the participants use toy guns or manually thrown missiles in an attempt to hit the several targets.

27a-105.2) p i are as desired; the depth is preferably suitable to receive the target operation devices and to` provide astable base without weighting the case' or using additional structure to increase the base area.

The front panel Il of thetarget has a preferably irregularly shaped opening l2 in the upper portion thereof, and a long relatively narrow It is an object of the invention to provide an animated target in which one of several targets appear for brief intervals within a restricted target area.

It is an object of the invention to provide an apparatus of the class described wherein targets briefly appear in succession at one of three positions within the target area.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a mechanical target in which the appear- -ances of the target devices are sudden and of brief duration, whereby the element of surprise adds to the normal enjoyment derived from the use thereof.

opening Ill along the lower margin, the latter opening serving as the means through which spent projectiles may roll out of the target case for re-use. The base wall l5 preferably slopes downwardly toward the opening i4, as shown in Fig. 2.

On a shaft I6 journaled in the iront and rear walls of the case, there is secured a drive wheel il and a suitable target mount I8. Thedrive wheel I1 may be of wood, or of light metal suili'- cient to provide a flywheel effect, and is arranged It is yet another object of the invention to proi vide a mechanical target in which the objects, when hit squarely, will drop out of the line of sight, and will ring a bell, for example, to denote the present invention, one of the targets being;

exposed in the target area;

l Fig. 2 is a side elevation taken on lines 2--2 of Fig. 1; i

Fig. 3 is a top plan view, in section, on lines 3-3 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a front elevation, similar to that of i Fig. 1, but showing a second condition of operationof the apparatus; and

Fig. 5 is a plan sectional View of a target and target support, takenon lines 5--5 of Fig. 4.

' Referring to the drawings, the apparatus comprises a case I0 which may be of plywood, composition board, orthe like. The overall dimensions to be rotated by electric motor means 20 suitably housed within the case, said motor being connected to wheel Il preferably by belt drive operating through a'suitable speed-reducing device designated in its entirety by the numeral 2l. Electrical connections and switch means for drive and control of the motor, being conventional, are schematically shown at 22, Fig. 4.

A pair of swing-rods, respectively 24, 25,4 are secured to the freely pivoted shafts 26, 29. The

- rods are to the rear of and equidistantly on opposite sides of the center of wheel ll,` and said wheel is provided, near its periphery, with an actuator pin 21, which comprises a iixed pin having a length which extends well to the rear of the said` rods 24, 25, as shown in Fig. 2.` Preferably the rods are interconnected by the spring 28, and to limit the swing of the rods toward each other, a stop 30, xed to the `rear wall of the housing, extends therebetween as shown in Figs. 3 and 4.

Assuming the wheel Il to be rotated counterclockwise of Fig. 1 by the motor 20, the pin 21 will engage the rod 25 and will cause it to swing in a clockwise direction. The stop 3i! prevents rod 24 from rotating conjointly with rod 25. As

the pin 2l is moved through ninety degrees, the. i rod "2 5 will have been swung to its maximum, f

whereupon as the pin enters the lower quadrant of movement, the spring 28 maintains the rod in contact "with the pin, and the rod therefore commences a return or counterclockwise rotation.

, As the pin approaches degrees of rotation it will disengage `from rod 25, and for a brief instant will be in` engagement with neither rod 24 nor 25. into engagement with rod` `2li, swinging it out to Continued rotation brings the pin a mayimum eiitent as the third quadrant is completed, and permitting the rod to return to original position as a revolution of the wheel I'iv is completed.

The target support i8 is preferably a rectangular block or plate so positioned` that its longer aXi-s is coincident with a line extending` from the` pin 27 through the shaft i5. Hence, the target support is in vertical position when the pin 21 is` the plane of the target carrier, but permit the.

respective targets to fall rearwardly upon being squarely struck by av missile.

Thev target` support i8'4 carries a, pair of bells orI othernoise producing: devices, respectively 3.5, 5.7i-, saidbells-being in the path of movement of strikers 33 and lit, on the respective targets. Hence, as the target 32 swings rearwardly under impact, the striker 35, for example, will hit againstthe bell 35.

The sight area of the space l2, in which the targets 32, 33 appear, and the speed of rotation of ther target support it, are such that the respective targets will not returnn to vertical positionA while still within the sight area; the speed of rotation of said support of the targets also creates sufficient centrifugal forces to assist the springsv to. return the targets tooperative posi-A tion..

Shafts 42, 53 aresuitably freely journaled in bearings at the upper right and upper left hand corners of the. case'respectively.` Disposed substantially in the plane of the rod 24 is a short lever- M, pinned to the shaft 42 for rotationftherewith. The said` lever My is connectedi by a stiff, freely pivoted link t5, to the. rod 25. Similarly, a lever dtxed. to the shaft (i3 is connected by al stiff link ifi to the rod 2li`- Pinnedi or otherwise secured to the shaft i2 i-sa target support arm 33, and similarly secured to the shaft 43 is` ai' target support arm 55. Asl clearly app-ears inEig. 2the saidtarget support arms 48 and 55 are. adjacent the frontwallof` the housing. Preferably, `a cloth curtain'. or the like 5 is hung from thetop wall of the housing and. extends downwardly to` adjacent the base thereof, to conceal the'operating mechanism from view and to act as aback-stop against which the projectiles, balls, or the like strike when no hit is made on a target.

Hingedly supportedalong an edgeofthe target arm is a target 52, and a target 531s similarly supported along the edge of target arm 55. Springs 55, 55 respectively hold the targets 52, 5.3'. normally in a plane parallel to the front wall of the housing.. These springs, like the springs 3ft; 3`5-are of relativelyflimited strength and offer little'restraint against the rearward swing of the-target upon the same being hit. The respective targets 52, 53 have strikers 56, 51 which hit against bells or the like 58, G, carried on suitablebrackets ysecured to the respective arms 48, 50.. i

As with the targets'32, 33 the spring supporting the-targets 52 and 53 are. of such strength that only .a full hitA -will cause them to swing sharply rearwardly to soundthe bell: or other device. Also, thespeed or swing of the. respective target support arms is such that air resistance,

plus centrifugal force, assists the springs in returning the targets to operative position.

When one of the targets 32 or 33 occupies the sight area, as in Fig. l, neither the target 52 nor 53 Will be exposed to View; for in such instant of operation the pin 2 is not in engagement with either of the rods 24 or `25. The said rods being held in vertical position by the spring 28 and stop-block 35, the links connecting the rods with the respective levers 44 or 46 hold the levers and their respective target assemblies in concealed position;` The spring 28 is sufficiently strong to prevent theA pull ofy gravity from bringing either of the armscarrying targets 52 and 53 into a vertical position. By the time the pin 21 has sufliciently engaged rod 25, for example, to rotate it sufficiently to bring the target 52 into view,

the target 32 has become concealed behind the front panel i2. Before the target 33 comes completely within the target area the rod 25- will have returned to substantially verticaly position` and will have returned its target to'a point of concealment.

It is apparent that theforder inwvhich the. targets= are presentedv within the area t2 comprises;

32, 52, 33 and 53.

The-targets appear for only an instant, and

with the exception oftargets 32 and.- 33=no tar-get..

occupies exactly the same spacev/ithin. the area.

The speed with which the successive targets aref presented at successively diiferent locationsfwithin the target area affords an element of, surprise,

adding to the enjoyment derived from the-device.

The front wall l I is preferably painted;or. scenically decorated: consistent with the character of the individual targets. trees or the like adjacentthe positions at which theanimal-heads appear in the sight` area, ,provide the illusion of such an animal popping from behind a tree, boulder, or the-like.

Although the invention has been described, by

making a fully detailed reference to the certain` presently preferred embodiments, such; detail. ofy description is to be under-stood.y in an instructive rather than ak limiting sense, many changessbeing possible within the scope of the claims.A hereto appended.

I claim:

1. Atarget'device, including a. casinghaving an;

opening in one of its walls to provide asight area which is relatively small in comparison with the wall area a drive wheelrotatablymountedwithin said casing; means for rotatingsaidy wheel; an.

arm pivotally mounted Within said. casing and extending. adjacent said drive wheel; target; car'- rier means pvotally disposed within' said: casing. remote from saidsight area', thearc of` movement of said target carrier means having. one: t'eri minus within said4 sight area;y a targetv axed to said-target carrier means .andswingablethereby intof and out of'said. sightf area;A linkr meansconnecting said arm and: said: target! carrierV means; actuator means on* saididrive: wheel: engagea-ble with said .pivotally mounted arm` over substantially one half rotation of saidf drive wheel to oscillate said arm and said therewith associated'v target carrier means.; overv an arc suicient to exposesaidtarget tofa maximum. extent,v

within said sight area at,substantia'llyf*one quarter revolution of said wheel. and. to' remove?v the target. :completely from: said." sight area at sub'- stantally onev halfr revolution ofiy said wheel; and

a.` second target 1 carrier'within said; housing: andV rotatableby said drivefwheel; a target mounted.

upon said second carrier and movable into and For examplav painted out of View within said sight area substantially ninety degrees out of phase with said rst named target, whereby at most, only a small portion of each target is exposed to view within said sight area at the same time.

2. A target device, including a casing having an opening in one of its walls to provide a sight area which is relatively small in comparison with the wall area; a drive wheel rotatably mounted within said casing; means for rotating said wheel; a pair of arms pivotally mounted within said casing and extending adjacent said drive wheel respectively on opposite sides of the axis of rotation thereof; target carrier means for each of said arms and pivotally disposed remote from and on opposite sides of said sight area, the arc of movement of each said target carrier means having one terminus Within said sight area; a target swingably aixed to each said target carrier means and movable thereby into and out of said sight area; means on each said target for yieldably holding the same in the plane of said sight area; link means connecting each said arm with its associated target carrier means, actuator means on said drive wheel engageable with one of said arms for substantially one half rotation of said wheel and with the other arm for substantially the other one half rotation, whereby to oscillate each said arm in succession, the oscillation of one arm bringing the target of the target means associated therewith into full view within said sight area at substantially the rst ninety degrees of rotation of said wheel and removing it completely therefrom at substantially the second ninety degrees of rotation; the oscillation of the second arm bringing the target of its associated target means into full sight at substantially the third ninety degrees of rotation and out of sight at the fourth ninety degrees of rotation of said wheel; and a third target carrier Within said housing and rotatable by said drive wheel, said last named target carrier having targets mounted on the opposite ends thereof and movable into and out of sight substantially ninety degrees out of phase with said first named two targets, whereby when one target is completely exposed to view within said sight area, no part of any other target is simultaneously visible.

3. A target device as ln claim 2, in which said pivotally mounted arms are mutually interconnected by spring means urging the said arms into rotation toward each other.

4. A target device as in claim 2, in which said pivotally mounted arms are mutually interconnected by spring means urging said arms into rotation toward said actuator means.

5. A target device as in claim 2, in which said pivotally mounted arms are mutually interconnected by spring means urging said arms into rotation toward said actuator means; said casing having stop means to restrain said rotation at a predetermined point,

6. A target device, including a casing having an opening in one of its walls to provide a sight area which is relatively small in `comparison with the wall area; a plurality Iof target carriers pivotally mounted remote from the sight area, each target carrier having a target aixed thereto and swingable over an arc suii'icient to bring said target into or out of said sight area; spring means for rotating each said target carrier in a direction away from said sight area; a stopv for limiting said rotation and establishing a normal position in which the respective targets are out of said sight area; and means fon moving said target carriers in reverse direction to bring the target thereon into said sight area, comprising a swing rod individual to each target carrier, said swing rods being pivotally mounted and each having a rigid link connecting with its associated target carrier; means mounted for rotation and engageable successively with each said swing rod for rotating the same and its associated target carrier in said reverse direction, and means for rotating said swing rod engaging means.

\ IRVING D; WALLACI-I.

REFERENGES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Namev Date 1,096,474 Thoin May 12, 1914 1,488,647 Quinn Apr.` 1, 1924 2,135,667 Johnson Nov, 8, 1938 2,232,743 Swenson Feb. 25, 1941 

